Faster and faster The science that optimizes your speed. B1
Chefs overboard
To new heights
Is nuclear fudge fusion just too much? C1
Yard completes lift for yachts up to 200 feet. B11 Vol.9, No. 6
www.the-triton.com
The secrecy of germs
September 2012
1 NEW COURSE, 17 HOURS, 3 LIVES SAVED
What pathogens mean for crew By Dorie Cox Staph infections, MRSA, E. coli and Norovirus frequently make headlines. But no one in yachting wants to be connected with infectious diseases that leave crew sick, reputations damaged and boats quarantined. “There have been virulent infections reported regarding Staph, serious respiratory infections, yeast infections and E. coli,” Carmen Foy, president and CEO of Invenia Technologies said of yachting. “This industry looks clean, pretty and completely Febrezed,” Foy said. “But, when you lift up its skirt...” After years as a chef on boats, she has seen problems first-hand. Trained in food safety and hygiene, Foy left yachting to create Invenia, in Ft. Lauderdale, to offer testing for environmental pathogens, drugs and fuel. She also hears of incidents as a teacher of food safety and hygiene at International Yacht Training in Ft. Lauderdale. “A yacht is like a fishbowl surrounded by pathogens,” Foy said. “We want to educate and mitigate, but not create hysteria or fear of contagion.” Pathogens are bacteria, viruses, molds and such, that cause diseases. They are
See GERMS, page A16
Just after daybreak, Second Officer Olly Lynn, driving, and Chief Officer Guy Bennett-Pearce bring the skipper of the Maria Christina II back to his vessel. PHOTOS FROM CAPT. PATRICK WALSH
M/Y Golden Odyssey rescues fishermen By Lucy Chabot Reed When a yacht commits to a rescue, it really commits. On July 20, M/Y Golden Odyssey was en route to Tahiti via Panama when about midnight, Second Officer Olly Lynn spotted a vessel on his radar, just off course. As the yacht approached, every light on the little boat came on and eager voices rose on the VHF: Amigo, amigo. Lynn woke Capt. Patrick Walsh,
Drama is in the story, not in the rescue who was on his rotation as relief on the Golden Odyssey, and they hailed the boat on the radio. They were 550nm off the coast of Costa Rica/ Panama. “The only distinguishable word was ‘please help’ and ‘problem’,” according to Golden Odyssey’s official report of the incident.
Vendor relationships changed for yacht captains Fading are the days of vendors walking the docks, handshake agreements and kickbacks to yacht captains. How captains handle goods and service relationships is evolving from decades earlier. “The internet is the most amazing thing,” a captain From the Bridge said. “You can even put a part number Dorie Cox in and you can see the list price on your own.”
Individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in a photograph on page A14. Technology, marina security and increased transparency are a few of the reasons for the changes, said captains at The Triton’s monthly captains luncheon. Computers account for a substantial change in vendor relationships, a captain said. “There’s more documentation
these days,” a captain said. There are fewer carbon copied, handwritten receipts. Everything is kept on record and captains can search information on their own. So can yacht owners. “Owners are not stupid, they know what’s going on today,” a captain said. “And there are fewer handshake agreements,” another captain said. Captains rarely meet vendors anymore when onboard in a marina or yard, one captain said. Gone are the days of the barrage of flyers,
See BRIDGE, page A14
The bridge team tried to communicate but none among the 24-member crew spoke Spanish, the fishermen no English. Under a moonless sky, the 263foot (80m) yacht altered course to get closer – but not too close. Under its searchlights emerged a brightly colored 30- to 40-foot wooden fishing boat named the Maria Christina II and her three crew. The bridge team looked for signs of
See RESCUE, page A12
TRITON SURVEY
Does having a management company make for a better captain? Yes – 24.1% No – 75.9%
– Story, C1